EP1251037A2

EP1251037A2 - Electrical motor system

Info

Publication number: EP1251037A2
Application number: EP02252691A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dennis Kramer; Craig Rae Fowler; Jerome Quere; Enrico Fin; Georce Chene; Ira Goldberg; Stephen Chiu; Charles Hopson; Pascal Garrido; David Barry; Dan Rogovin
Original assignee: Meritor Light Vehicle Technology LLC
Current assignee: ArvinMeritor Technology LLC
Priority date: 2001-04-17
Filing date: 2002-04-16
Publication date: 2002-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2022-04-16
Also published as: DE60217571T2; US6538408B2; EP1251037A3; US20020149339A1; EP1251037B1; DE60217571D1

Abstract

A plurality of motors (14, 16, 18) for use in driving accessories (15, 17, 19) on a vehicle, are each powered by three-phase current. A single controller (12) controls the supply three-phase current to the plurality of motors. In another aspect of the invention, pseudothree-phase current is created from a direct current voltage source (42). A chopping circuit (40) chops the voltage into a plurality of pulses, and a phase shift circuit (64) then creates phase-shifted power signals from those pulses. The present invention thus enables the use of three-phase alternating current motors on a vehicle to drive accessories. This reduces the cost and size of the required motors.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an electrical motor system, and in particular a method of incorporating three-phase motors and associated controls into a vehicle.
Vehicles have been historically equipped with a 12 volt power supply providing direct current. Vehicles have more and more electrical components, and are typically equipped with several motors for powering various accessories. As an example, the windows, the locks, the seats, moon roofs/sun roofs, etc., are all powered by separate motors. Historically, these motors have utilized direct current. In the near future, it is expected that the power supply on vehicles will be increased to 42 volts direct current.
There are motors which are less expensive and smaller than the typical direct current motor. One type of inexpensive and small motor is powered by three-phase alternating current. However, the use of three-phase motors has not been practical in the vehicle environment, since a three-phase power supply has not been practically available in the vehicle. Moreover, three-phase motors typically require associated controls, that would be relatively expensive. Thus, although there would be benefits to utilizing three-phase motors in the vehicle environment, this has not been practically realized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, the use of three-phase motors is made more practical in the vehicle environment. In one feature of this invention, a single controller is utilized to control the supply of three-phase power to a number of three-phase motors. Essentially, a single controller, which may be the central controller for the entire vehicle, is operable to control switching elements associated with each of the motors. The controller controls the switching element to enable or prevent the flow of three-phase power to the individual motors.
In another aspect of this invention, pseudothree-phase power is supplied from a DC source. The DC current is associated with a "chopping" element that chops the direct current into a series of pulses. The pulses are sent to a power shift register which translates the pulses into power pulses, and shifts the phase among sequential pulses to provide pseudothree-phase power to a motor.
This aspect can be combined with a common controller such that three-phase power is supplied to a plurality of motors, and a single controller is operable to achieve the flow of the current to the individual motors. In further aspects of this invention, the shift circuit can output unipolar or dipolar signals.
Further, the power converter to convert the voltage signals into power may be separate from the shift register.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a controller for a vehicle.
Figure 2 is a schematic view of a current generating circuit.
Figure 3 is a view of a second embodiment current generating circuit.
Figure 4 is a view of another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figure 1 shows a circuit 10 having a single controller 12 controlling the flow of current to a plurality of three- phase motors 14, 16 and 18. Motors 14, 16 and 18 can be associated with a window 15, a door lock 17 and a mirror 19, shown schematically, in a door module 21. The door module is mounted within a vehicle. This only shows suggested applications, and the present invention would extend to a circuit for powering motors at many locations on a vehicle.
Three power lines 20, 22 and 24 supply the three-phase power. A plurality of switches 26, 28 and 30 are associated with each power line 20, 22 and 24, and selectively supply the power to the individual motors 14, 16 and 18. Controller 12 is operable to send appropriate control signals through lines 32, 34 and 36 to operate the switches 26, 28 and 30 and to supply power to a selected motor 14, 16 or 18. It should be understood that more than three motors could be associated with this circuit, and it should be understood that the switches 26, 28 and 30 may be as known in the art. The switches can be individually actuated, with three separate control lines. A single switch element may be controlled by a single control line to achieve the connection of all three power lines. This aspect of the invention thus simplifies the control circuitry for supplying three-phase power to a number of three-phase powered motors. A single controller may be utilized, and the controller may be the main control element for the entire vehicle.
The three-phase power supplied to the motors on a vehicle may be generated by a circuit such as circuit 40 as shown in Figure 2. As shown, a voltage source 42, which may be a 42 volt power source, or could be a lower voltage power source, supplies voltage to a chopping switch 44. The output of this chopping switch 44 is a series of pulses 58. A mosfet or other electronic switch can be used as switch 44. As shown, each three chopped signals 58 move to a power and shift register 56. The power and shift register 56 separates the signals 1, 2 and 3 into phase-shifted current pulses directed through lines 48, 50 and 52 to a motor 46. The motor 46 is shown schematically driving an accessory 54 on a vehicle. The circuit 56 would be made of known elements capable of turning the pulses 58 into phase-shifted power pulses for the individual lines 48, 50 and 52. Flip flops, and other appropriate circuit elements would be preferably utilized for the circuit element 56.
Figure 3 shows another embodiment 60 wherein the chopping circuit 62 creates a signal 66 having pulse separated into groups of six. The wavelets reach a power and shift circuit 64 which alternately reverses the polarity of the output power signals through the lines 48, 50 and 52 as shown in figure. Now signals 1 and 4, 2 and 5 and 3 and 6 are di-polar power pulses delivered to power lines 48, 50 and 52.
The circuits shown in Figures 2 and 3 take DC voltage, and create three-phase alternating current. Only simple circuit elements are required, and thus the present invention supplies three-phase current with a relatively inexpensive control package. Thus, the use of the three-phase motors becomes practical with this instant invention.
Figure 4 shows another circuit 70 wherein the power conversion is performed by a chopping switch 73 and circuit element 74 associated with two power lines 76 and 78. Thus, the signals reaching the shift registers 86, 90 and 94 are already converted into power pulses. The elements 86, 90 and 94 convert the signals into the phase-shifted currents for the three-phase wires 88 associated with motor 80, 92 associated with motor 82, and 96 associated with motor 84. This invention does not require the power shift to be associated with each motor. Moreover, a circuit such as the circuit shown in Figure 2 or 3 could be associated to supply the power for the lines 20, 22 and 24 in the Figure 1 embodiment.
The present invention thus reduces the expense and complexity of supplying three-phase power, and controlling that power to flow to appropriate ones of a plurality of motors on a vehicle.
Although preferred embodiments have been disclosed, a worker in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.

Claims

An electrical motor system for use on a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of three-phase powered motors (14, 16, 18);

a power supply for supplying three-phase power (20, 22, 24) to three inputs for each of said plurality of motors;

a switch system (26, 28, 30) associated with said three inputs for each of said motors; and

a single controller (12) controlling said switches for said plurality of motors.
A system as recited in Claim 1, wherein said power supply is pseudo-alternating current, and is created from a direct current source (42).
A system as recited in Claim 2, wherein said pseudo-three-phase power is created by a chopping circuit (40) creating pulses from a DC source.
A system as recited in any preceding claim, wherein said motors each drive an accessory (15, 17, 19) on a vehicle.
A power system for driving an accessory on a vehicle comprising:

a motor (46) powered by three-phase current.

a direct current voltage source (42);

a shift circuit (64) for changing said direct current into three-phase current (48, 50, 52) to said motor.
A system as recited in Claim 5, wherein said direct current voltage source is connected to a chopping circuit (62) which creates a series of pulses, said pulses being sent to a phase shift register (64) which shifts the phases of sequential ones of said pulses to provide said three-phase power to said motor.
A system as recited in Claim 5 or 6, wherein said shift circuit creates a dipolar output signal.
A system as recited in any one of Claims 5 to 7, wherein said circuit for converting said chopped pulses into three-phase power incorporates a separate power element (74) for supplying power signals to a plurality of said motors (80, 82, 84), and a phase shift element (86, 90, 94) associated with each of said plurality of motors.
A system as recited in any one of Claims 5 to 8, wherein the or each motor each powers an accessory (54) on a vehicle.